“What do you want to happen?” he asked.
I knew the meaning behind his question. Without asking directly or mentioning my fears, he was curious if I’d bring Isla and Pippa back with me to Canada.
“I don’t know,” I replied.
“And that’s why you’ll lose her again. And Pippa,” he said honestly.
“Fuck you! You’re supposed to help me, not make me feel worse. I didn’t do this. I didn’t…” My voice trailed off before I finished my thoughts.
“Want kids,” my asshole of a brother said, finishing my sentence. “And now she’s here. She’s apparently perfect, beautiful, and she has your eyes. You need to pull yourself together!” Roman shouted into the phone. “Fight your fears with everything you’ve got! Fight for Isla and Pippa. Unless you don’t want them?”
“Yes, I want them. Dammit, Roman. I want them more than anything, but what if something happens to them? It would kill me if anything happened to them.”
“You need to get your ass back into counseling. Giovanna didn’t die because you were with her or because you loved her. You didn’t give Julietta cancer. Life isn’t promised. We all have a number, and when it’s up, it’s fucking up. No one can stop it.”
“Logically, I know you’re right, but?—”
“Stop right there. No buts. Think about Isla and the baby. Think about your life without them. How would you feel if Isla married another man and Pippa grew up with a stepdad?”
“That’s not happening,” I growled through gritted teeth.
“Really? Why not? Why won’t it happen, brother? Isla is a beautiful woman. She’s smart, kind, and loving. There will be men willing to do anything to have her.”
Oh, he was pissing me off. “You’re a shitty brother,” I muttered, staring up at the ceiling.
“Just answer the question.”
“I know she still loves me, and I… I…”
“You still can’t say you love her.”Roman groaned in frustration. “You better find it within yourself, or another man will.”
A fire blazed inside me at the thought of Isla with another man. It’d never happen. I wouldn’t allow it to happen. “Roman?”
“Yes, Ciro Joseph?” Jerk. He only ever called me by my full name when he knew he’d won.
“Help me get Isla back.”
“Glad you finally see the light. How far are you willing to go to get your girls in the mansion?” There was an edge in his voice that made my ears perk up.
“I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“Good. I’d start with charming the panties off Isla.”
“That’s easy enough.”
He chuckled. “You’re such a cocky son of a bitch. But if that doesn’t work, force her hand.”
“Force how? Paolo suggested forcing her too.”
“You know once people find out you have a child; our enemies will go after Pippa and Isla. The only way to protect them is to keep them on the estate.”
“And this is why I never wanted children. No kid should grow up with guards following them around.”
“It is what it is, brother. We turned out okay. Mafia is in our blood. Rosa’s bringing a child into the world. You know Wolf will die before a hair is harmed on his kid’s head. Things aren’t like they used to be in Italy. We’re wiser and more proactive than Padre had been. We know how to protect our family. The estate is a fucking fortress.”
He wasn’t wrong about my brothers and I being wiser. We took the threats to our livelihood and loved ones seriously. We were vigilant and cautious. Like my brother-in-law, Wolf, I would lay my life down for my child.
“So, charm Isla first, and if that doesn’t work, I take the choice away from her?” I hoped she would willingly go to Canada so I wouldn’t have to threaten her. If I even muttered filing for full custody of Pippa, Isla would hate me for life.
